Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, says Tehran has reached its capacity in terms of accepting Afghan nationals and will prioritize the deportation of undocumented migrants.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Momeni stressed that addressing the presence of unauthorized migrants is a national issue and highlighted that Iran’s law enforcement agencies are at the forefront of implementing the policy.
“The issue of undocumented migrants is a national matter, and naturally, the police are on the front line,” Momeni said, adding that this has been made a priority for law enforcement.
Momeni explained that substantial national resources have been allocated to supporting Afghan migrants, and reiterated that Iran no longer can accommodate them.
He also confirmed that the government has developed plans to carry out the deportations.
Iran is host to the largest refugee population in the world, hosting 3.4 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations and has hosted refugees for over 40 years.
According to UNHCR, in March this year, Iran was hosting 773,049 registered Afghan refugees.
In total, UNHCR estimates that some 3.7 million forcibly displaced persons of various documentation status, and from various countries, currently reside in Iran.
